Singapore, 8 October 2014 – Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and SPH Foundation were honoured at the annual Community Chest Awards 2014 Presentation Ceremony at the Istana this afternoon.

SPH and SPH Foundation received the 10-Year Outstanding Corporate Award as well as the Corporate Platinum Award. This is the fifth consecutive year that SPH and SPH Foundation have received the Corporate Platinum Award. The awards were presented by Ms Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Social and Family Development & Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Mayor, South West District.

Sphere Exhibits, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SPH, was also awarded a Special Events Gold Award at a separate Community Chest Awards Presentation Ceremony held on 17 September 2014 at the Concorde Hotel Singapore.

Every year, SPH and SPH Foundation work with Community Chest to identify charities serving the needy elderly as well as disadvantaged children and youth for its annual charity cheque presentation.

In celebration of SPH’s 30th anniversary this year, SPH and SPH Foundation will present $1 million (with government matching) to 50 charities at “A Nation in Concert”, a musical that features a cast of professional and disabled artistes at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre on 8 November 2014. Besides the monetary donation, beneficiaries from the selected charities are invited to the musical performance.

SPH and SPH Foundation also contribute to other charities and causes throughout the year.

Dr Lee Boon Yang, Chairman of SPH and SPH Foundation said: “The Community Chest Awards are most appreciated. This year, SPH celebrates our 30th anniversary. Our Corporate Social Responsibility works are part and parcel of our business success. We will always remember the needy and underprivileged among us. We will continue to do our part to help them and bring some cheers to their life. As we approach Singapore's 50th Anniversary next year, we hope that SPH's continuing CSR efforts will also help to strengthen our community ties and social cohesiveness even as globalisation poses new challenges to Singapore”.

For the second consecutive year, SPH’s events arm, Sphere Exhibits, was honoured with the Special Events Gold Award. It helped to raise funds for Community Chest through the Asian Masters Charity Dinner held at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore on 29 November 2013. The Asian Masters Charity Dinner was part of a gourmet festival organised by Sphere Exhibits.

More than $270,000 was raised through table sales, outright donations, a live and a silent auction where diners could bid for, among other things, a batik painting created by a beneficiary of Metta Welfare Association and handcrafted glass plates by beneficiaries of Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped. Each handcrafted glass plate was paired with items which included Royal Salute 62 Guns Salute, Martell XO Exclusive Architect Edition, Champagne G.H. MUMM Cuvee Lalou 1998, wines from BOND Estates, LIULIGONGFANG crystal art piece and more.

The funds raised were channelled to three charities under the auspices of Community Chest, namely MINDS IDEA Employment Development Centre, Singapore Association of Mental Health Oasis Day Centre and Eden Centre for Adults. The Charity Dinner was graced by Mr Lawrence Wong, then Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information.

Mr Chua Wee Phong, Chairman of Sphere Exhibits, said:"Sphere Exhibits is glad to partner Community Chest once more, to give back to the community through the Asian Masters Charity Dinner. We are heartened by the generosity of our guests who have supported our efforts to contribute to a worthy cause. As the Asian Masters programme grows, we are also committed to build on this success to bring the charity event to greater heights to benefit the community.”

About Singapore Press Holdings Ltd
Incorporated in 1984, main board-listed Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) is Asia’s leading media organisation, engaging minds and enriching lives across multiple languages and platforms.SPH has 19 titles licensed under the Newspaper Printing and Presses Act, of which nine are daily newspapers across four languages. On an average day, 2.8 million individuals or 69 per cent of people above 15 years old, read one of SPH's news publications.Beyond print, SPH's suite of digital products includes online editions of newspapers and magazines, as well as mobile applications. Our online products enjoy 360 million page views with 23 million unique browsers every month. Other new media initiatives include AsiaOne, omy.sg, ST701, Stomp and SPH Razor. SPH has also ventured into book publishing, broadcasting, out-of-home advertising and properties. For more information, please visit www.sph.com.sg.

About the Singapore Press Holdings Foundation
The Singapore Press Holdings Foundation, a registered charity and an Institution of Public Character, was first set up as the Press Foundation of Singapore in January 2003 to help build a lifelong learning community that embraces language enrichment, creativity, diversity, healthy living and sports. The seed contribution of $20 million to the Foundation came from media group Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. It was renamed Singapore Press Holdings Foundation in May 2005.

About Sphere Exhibits Pte Ltd
A wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), Sphere Exhibits, which stands for "SPH Events, Roadshows and Exhibitions", aims to be the leading events company catering to a diverse mix of trade and consumer clientele. Backed by a committed and experienced team of professionals and SPH's comprehensive range of media platforms, Sphere Exhibits’ shows, events and exhibitions centre on unique concepts that attract local audiences and regional participants. Among the 20 Sphere Exhibits' events are The IT Show, COMEX, Licence2Play, Asian Masters and Kidz Academy. Leveraging on its expertise in event conceptualisation, planning and execution, Sphere Exhibits delivers memorable and quality events that meet the objectives of its clientele and partners.